


the women beside the hero

by RocketRem



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-24
Packaged: 2018-03-05 01:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3100334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RocketRem/pseuds/RocketRem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabbles revolving around Olicity and Snowbarry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Roommate/Neighbor Drabble

**Author's Note:**

> These were originally posted on my tumblr. I do plan on adding to this when the muse strikes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loosely based on this au prompt: “the fire alarm went off at 3am and now the cute guy from the flat next door is standing next to me in his underwear”

“Felicity, stop staring” Caitlin whispered quietly in her ear.

“Of course he sleeps shirtless. Why am I not surprised?” Felicity said, her eyes still trained on the man across the lawn.

“If you’re not surprised then why are you still staring at him?”

“Because look at him, Cait. He’s _shirtless_!!” Felicity practically yelled, catching the attention of several other residents standing near them.

The man in question turned around and caught her eye, obviously having heard her outburst. He smiled brightly at her before turning to talk to his roommate, a tall lanky guy that still seemed to be half asleep.

“Felicity, our apartment building is _literally_ on fire and you care more about the fact that our neighbor isn’t wearing a shirt?” Caitlin asked incredulously.

“He isn’t wearing any pants either,” Felicity mumbled under her breath, but Caitlin heard her.

“You don’t even have your glasses on. How can you see him?”

"He’s practically naked, Caitlin. Even without my glasses on that’s pretty hard to miss."

“Lis, why don’t you just go talk to him?” Caitlin suggested.

Felicity tore her eyes away from the man before speaking to her friend, “Because guys with abs like that, don’t talk to girls with faces like mine.” The girls had only been living in the apartment complex for about a month, but in that short time Felicity had already developed a crush of sorts on their neighbor. He was handsome and way out of her league so she never bothered to approach him. She didn’t even know his name.

"Okay you’re full of crap,” Caitlin’s voice rang in her ear. “You’re beautiful and he’s obviously noticed because I’ve caught him staring at you whenever we pass him in the lobby or hallways. Why are you so afraid to talk to him? He’s just a normal guy."

"Fine,” Felicity answered her, “I’ll talk to him.”

"Thank you!" Caitlin said relieved.

"Just as soon as you decide to talk to his roommate," Felicity added mischievously, laughing at her friends shocked face. That sure shut her up real quick.

"Ha! That’s what I thought.” Felicity taunted. “You’re over here giving me shit for staring at Abs McGee when you keep sneaking glances at his roommate."

Caitlin blushed slightly, “Well it’s not my fault that he looks even cuter when he’s been suddenly awaken by the fire alarm at 3am.”

Both girls turned to look at said roommate as he started to yawn, running his hand through his hair. “He does look adorable,” Felicity added.

They continued to stare at the two men for a few seconds before turning away. They were both screwed, pining over their neighbors who probably didn’t even know who they were.

"Oh god. Shit!" Felicity muttered and she frantically began patting down her hair.

"What?" asked a confused Caitlin.

"They’re coming over here!" she hissed.

Caitlin turned to look and sure enough their neighbors were slowly making their way towards them.

"Glad to see that you ladies made it out safe," the shirtless one stated.

Felicity could do nothing but stare, her mouth hanging open slightly.

He continued on, “We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Oliver and this is my roommate, Barry.”

Felicity still hadn’t been able to find her voice so Caitlin stepped in, “It’s nice to finally meet you both. I’m Caitlin and this is my friend/roommate Felicity.” The four of them continued to just stand there, staring at each other.

Then the head fire fighter had announced that the fire was successfully put out but the building still needed to be inspected. They were going to allow the residents to go and quickly grab their essentials but they wouldn’t be permanently allowed back in for a couple more hours.

“Alright, might as well go get our things.” Felicity said as she took a step toward the building.

Caitlin stopped her by grabbing her arm, “Lis, I don’t want you tripping over anything in there, it’s probably a mess. Just stay out here, I’ll go get your glasses and some of our stuff.”

"I don’t like you going in there alone." Felicity pressed.

"What if I went with you?" Barry offered, directing his attention towards Caitlin.

She stared at him for a few moments before answering, “Uhh, yeah.” She smiled, “That’d be great. Thanks.”

"Don’t worry about Felicity, I’ll make sure she doesn’t hurt herself out here," Oliver said, a hint of amusement in his voice as Barry and Caitlin began making their way towards the lobby doors.

"My hero," Felicity said sarcastically, looking up at Oliver. He winked at her and she found herself once again roaming the length of his body. She gulped.

"And please bring Oliver a sweatshirt or something!" Felicity yelled after them, "and some pants!"

"I thought you liked looking at me shirtless," he smirked at her.

"I do," she said without even thinking. Oliver looked surprised, probably not expecting that answer. But then he grinned at her. "I mean, I just wouldn’t want…you know what? I’m not even going to try and make up for that. Yes, you have an amazing body and I like looking at you shirtless. Happy now?"

Oliver shook his head, chuckling softly, “You’re remarkable.”

Felicity blushed, looking down at her feet. “Thank you for remarking on it.” When she looked back up again she found Oliver already staring at her and she couldn’t manage to tear her eyes away from his.

She doesn’t know how long they were looking at each other like that but then Caitlin and Barry were emerging from the building, making their way back to them.

"Here are your glasses,” Caitlin said as she handed them over.

"Thank you," Felicity said as she quickly put them on.

"And here are your clothes buddy," Barry said as he handed Oliver a t-shirt and some sweats.

“So, we’ve got some time to kill. There’s a small 24hr diner just down the street. Who’s up for breakfast?” Barry looked around at them expectantly, his eyes landing on Caitlin’s.

She smiled softly at him, “Breakfast sounds good.”

“Great!” Barry answered enthusiastically. “I’m looking forward to hearing more about your job at Star Labs,” he added genuinely.

Caitlin was full on grinning now. “What about you guys? Care to join us?” she asked as she turned to look between Felicity and Oliver.

The pair stared at each other before replying at the same time, “Yes. We’d love to.”

The four of them started making their way down the sidewalk and towards the diner, Barry and Oliver leading the way. Caitlin leaned in to whisper in Felicity’s ear, “Well, this night just got interesting.”

Oliver turned around and caught Felicity’s eye, he smiled brightly at her and she returned the gesture, “Yes. Yes it did.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am continuing this story in a separate post. It's called Roommates and you can find it on my page :)


	2. strangers on trains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> based off of this prompt: "I was trying to take a sneaky picture of you because I told my friend about the hot guy on the train and she wanted to see but you totally noticed and yeah this is awkward"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> olicity oneshot

Felicity was sitting in the window seat on the train home from work. She was by herself, the seat next to her empty as well as the two directly across from her. She had her notebook out, pen in hand, planning to get some work done when she noticed movement in the aisle. She looked up in time to see a man, a very handsome man in a three piece suit walk by and sit in one of the rows across the aisle from her. He caught her staring once he sat down and offered her a small smile before looking away.

Felicity put her pen in her mouth and grabbed her phone.

 **[F]** : There’s a really hot guy sitting across the aisle from me. Like, seriously hot. He could be on the cover of GQ and everything.

Felicity typed in a group message to her two best friends, Caitlin and Sara. She didn’t have to wait long for a reply.

 **[S]** I wanna see! Take a picture of him!

 **[C]** : Don’t listen to Sara. Her ideas are always the worst

 **[S]** : Excuse you, my ideas are prime. Remember that time I got us into Verdant on opening night? We would’ve been waiting in line for hours if it wasn’t for me.

 **[C]** : You made us flash the bouncer, Sara!!

 **[S]** : BUT WE GOT IN RIGHT??! That’s all that matters.

Felicity’s phone was buzzing like crazy where it sat in her lap. She spared another glance at the man across the aisle. He was looking at something on his phone, eyes furrowed together in concentration before he clenched his jaw in agitation.

 **[F]** : GUYS!  
 **[F]** : GUUUYYS! HE JUST DID THE JAW THING. I REPEAT, HE JUST DID THE JAW THING.

 **[S]** : PICS OR IT DIDNT HAPPEN!

 **[C]** : Felicity, no! Nothing good can come from this

 **[S]** : Don’t even lie, Cait. You wanna see what he looks like too

 **[C]** : Yeah, I do. But asking Lis to take a picture of him? What if she gets caught?

 **[S]** : That’s why she’s gotta be sneaky about it

 **[F]** : I’m like the least sneaky person there is tho

 **[C]** : My point exactly.

 **[F]** : Oh! What if I just pretend to take a selfie but really I’ll just be taking a picture of him.

 **[S]** : That could work. You’re a blonde white girl, it’s believable.

 **[C]** : Yeah Sara, so are you…

 **[S]** : But I’m not the one in this situation, Felicity is.

 **[F]** : He’s been looking at his phone since he got in here. He might not even notice

 **[S]** : That’s the spirit!

 **[C]** : This is totally gonna backfire on you. Just saying

 **[S]** : Don’t be such a debby downer, snowflake. It’s harmless fun. Come on Lis, hurry up and take the pic cause I’m supposed to be working

 **[F]** : Fine I’m gonna do it.

 **[C]** : This is such a bad idea

Felicity and Caitlin were always such hermit crabs, hardly going out, never taking risks. That was until they met Sara Lance one sunny day eight months ago when they were walking Felicity’s dog through the park. Sara was out jogging and stopped when she saw Ophie (Felicity’s dog), and she immediately knelt down to pet her, not wasting any time in chatting up Felicity and Caitlin. The three of them went for coffee after that and the rest, as they say, is history.

Since then Sara has been the one to try and force the girls out of their bubble; encouraging them to try new things, and occasionally convincing them to engage in some ridiculous shenanigans. She had the cutest little pouty face and Felicity could never say no to her.

Which is why she was now about to take a picture of some random, albeit extremely attractive, stranger on the train. Felicity squared her shoulders, psyching herself up. She decided to forgo the whole ‘fake selfie’ route and opted for just keeping the phone in her lap, covered mostly by her purse.  
  
She aimed the lens at the man, her head tilted slightly so she could look at the phone screen. With one last deep breath, she took the picture.

*FLASH*

The man’s head shot up at the bright light that erupted from Felicity’s phone. He looked at her, unreadable expression on his face.

"Oh, shit," Felicity muttered under her breath before looking away. "Shit shit shit!" _How could she forget to turn the fucking flash off?!?_

She felt the train slowing to a stop and she quickly began gathering her things. This wasn’t her stop but she didn’t care, she just needed to leave before she died of embarrassment. As soon as it came to a halt, Felicity all but ran out of the train, ignoring the way the man had stood abruptly, probably wanting to confront her for invading his privacy. She ran from the train and immediately hailed a cab, the last thing she heard before shutting the door was the man calling after her to wait.

Her face was beat read and her hands were shaking a bit. It took her a few tries before she was able to text her friends

 **[F]** : HE FUCKING SAW ME TAKE THE PICTURE!!!!!

 **[C]** : I told you it was gonna backfire

 **[S]** : *crying/laughing face emoji x10*

 **[C]** : How did he catch you? Did he just happen to look up when you were taking the picture?

 **[F]** : I left the fucking flash on!!

 **[S]** : *more crying/laughing emoji’s*  
 **[S]** : this is the greatest thing that’s ever happened omg

 **[F]** : SARA ITS NOT FUNNY! Fuck I’m never riding the train again

~~~~~

Oliver couldn’t help but notice the cute blonde girl sitting on the other side of the train. Her hair was pulled back and glasses framed her face, her lips a very kissable bright pink.

He looked down at his phone, going through his emails and running a hand down his face when he saw just how many were work related. He glanced over at the blonde woman again; she was giggling softly and texting on her phone, a red pen dangling from her mouth. She looked adorable. But also sexy as hell—a deadly combination.

He quickly shot out a text to Tommy and Barry;

 **[O]** : Just got on the train. I’ll head home real quick and then meet you guys at the bar.

 **[B]** : Sounds good!

 **[T]** : What’s the plan for tonight? Other than trying to get laid, that is.

 **[B]** : Can’t we just go out and have drinks without looking for someone to take home?

 **[T]** : Where’s the fun in that, Bare?

 **[O]** : There’s a cute girl on the train with me, I should invite her to join us. Haha

 **[T]** : Nice!! Details?

 **[O]** : Blonde ponytail, glasses. She’s wearing a pencil skit and a pink blouse

 **[T]** : Ooooh, she’s got the whole librarian thing going on. I can dig that.  
 **[T]** : Take a picture of her and send it to me

 **[B]** : Dude!!

 **[T]** : What? I just wanna see what she looks like

 **[O]** : I’m not taking a picture of her, Tommy. I’m not some creep

 **[B]** : She doesn’t really sound like your type, Ollie. And she probably has a bf anyways.

 **[T]** : Yeah, forget about her. We’ll just find you someone at the bar

But Oliver didn’t want some other girl at the bar. He wanted this girl. And not just for sex, although that would be nice too. He was just genuinely intrigued by her. And the whole glasses/ponytail combo was surprisingly doing it for him. But Barry was right; a girl like her was probably already taken. He didn’t stand a chance.

Oliver was still looking down at his phone when he saw a bright flash out of the corner of his eye. _What the fuck?_

He looked up and met the blondes wide eyed expression. _Did she just try to take a picture of him? Without turning the flash off?_ She looked away from him, her cheeks already turning red and she started shoving her things in her purse.

Oliver could do nothing but stare. She actually tried to take a picture of him. So that must mean that she found him attractive? What if just like Tommy, she too had a friend that asked her to take a picture of him? Oliver was too preoccupied with his own thoughts that he barely noticed her get up and make her way out of the cabin. He stood and went to follow her but she was practically running.

"Hey, wait!" he yelled after her right before she jumped into a taxi that quickly took off down the road.

He stood there for a second, watching the car drive away before hurriedly turning back to the train. Once he was back in his seat he pulled his phone out.

 **[O]** : You will never believe what just happened.

 **[B]** : What?

 **[T]** : You got the blondes number? You taking her home?

 **[O]** : She just tried to take a picture of me but the flash went off

 **[B]** : Are you serious?

 **[T]** : No way! What did you do?

 **[O]** : I was gonna try to talk to her but she got off at the last stop and ran to catch a cab.

 **[T]** : Dude, that’s hilarious! God I wish I could have seen her face.

 **[O]** : She looked pretty embarrassed

 **[T]** : Well she should be. She was the one being a creep and taking pics of strangers

 **[B]** : Tommy you literally suggested that Oliver do the same thing

 **[T]** : Yeah but it wasn’t weird when I asked. Are you pissed?

 **[O]** : Not really. I’m actually a little flattered.

 **[T]** : Seriously?

 **[O]** : Like I said, she was cute. Hopefully I can catch her tomorrow.

But Oliver never saw her. He got on the train at the exact same time the next day and he walked the entire length of the cabin, looking at each row, searching for her face. But he didn’t find her. He texted Tommy and Barry

 **[O]** : I don’t see her.

 **[T]** : *sad face emoji*

 **[B]** : Are you sure?

 **[O]** : Yeah. She’s not here

He looked for her the next day and the day after that. But he never saw her. Every day when he got on the train he scanned the crowds, hoping to see her pink lips or blonde ponytail. He never did. He rode the train every day for a month, he saw countless people come and go, but not a single one of them was the woman he was searching for.

Tommy laughed at his behavior about two weeks in, “Come on, Ollie. She’s just some chick. Why are you going through all this trouble?”

Oliver knew it was a bit much, riding the train every day in the hopes of running into her. But he couldn’t explain it. He just…he _had_ to see her.

~~~~~

Felicity avoided taking the train for an entire month for fear that she would run into the man she tried to take a picture of. But Sara kept calling her a chicken and taking a cab every day was really expensive. Felicity figured that a month was long enough. The chances of her running into him were slim to none.

So she took the train home that Friday night. She walked through the aisle and let out a sigh of relief when she didn’t see him anywhere in the cabin. She sat down in a row by herself and started reading some article from her tablet, resting it in her lap. Half way through reading, a pair of men’s shoes entered her line of sight and she noticed a man sit directly across from her. _Really, dude? Of all the seats on the train, you have to sit across from me?_

Felicity slowly raised her eyes from the floor, taking in the man’s grey suit before her eyes landed on his face. She gulped when she realized exactly who was sitting in front of her.

Oliver stopped in his tracks, right in the middle of the aisle when he saw a familiar blonde ponytail, and the woman it belonged to, sitting in the row in right in front of him. She was here, on the train. _Finally_. Oliver had been imagining what this would be like for weeks, but now that she was here and he couldn’t remember what his plan was. He quietly entered her row, she was busy on her tablet so she didn’t even notice him, and he sat down in the seat across from her. Then she slowly raised her head and he was met with her beautiful face and those pink lips he’d been dreaming of every night.

"Hi, I’m Oliver Queen," the man introduced and Felicity gaped at him. He smiled at her before continuing, "So, you ran away pretty quickly last time I saw you."

The words just started tumbling out of Felicity’s mouth like word vomit. “I am so sorry for that, oh my god! That was incredibly rude and I swear I’m not a creep or anything..although according to my friend Caitlin I am, because what kind of person goes around taking pictures of hot random strangers on a train? I mean..apparently I’m that type of person but still. I didn’t even want to do it but my friend told me to so technically it’s her fault and oh my god just stop me right now.” Felicity was breathing hard when she finished and she was surprised to find that Oliver was smiling at her, chucking softly.

“‘Hot stranger’, huh? I’ve been called worse.” Oliver said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Out of everything I just said, _that’s_ the thing you choose to focus on?” Felicity asked.

"Well, when the beautiful woman that you spent a month riding the train looking for finally shows up and happens to call you hot, you don’t just let that slide."

Felicity suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe. “You…? You were looking for me?” The words came out just above a whisper.

Oliver simply nodded before speaking. “I rode this train every day for the last month in the hopes that I would see you again.”

The way he said those words were so sincere and Felicity could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

"Why would you do that?" she asked.

Oliver rubbed the back of his neck, the tips of his ears turning red.

Felicity watched him; _was he nervous?_

"I noticed you that day, almost as soon as I sat down. I don’t know what it was about you, but I couldn’t stop myself from glancing your way."

"Yeah…probably because I was chewing on a pen," she mumbled quietly.

"It was red," Oliver said softly and Felicity was pretty sure her heart had stopped completely.

"I just..I wanted to talk to you, but the flash from your phone went off," he saw Felicity’s sharp intake of breath, "and then you ran from the train surprisingly fast," Oliver said with a small chuckle.

He leaned forward and looked directly into Felicity’s eyes. “I don’t even know your name.”

She blinked a few times before replying, “It’s Felicity. Felicity Smoak.”

Oliver smiled. “Felicity.” He tested her name out, liking the way it rolled off his tongue. “I spent the last four weeks waiting for you to show up so I could tell you that I wasn’t mad about you taking that picture of me.”

"You weren’t?" Felicity choked out, she was still having trouble finding her voice.

"No," Oliver shook his head. "To be honest, that was a hell of an ice breaker and I was hoping that instead of you running away we would of laughed it off and then spent the rest of the train ride sitting together."

"But.. _why_? I totally invaded your privacy by taking that picture..” as Felicity spoke her hands were waving wildly in front of her and Oliver reached up to grab them, causing her to stop.

"It’s wasn’t a big deal. And you weren’t invading my privacy." she looked skeptical but Oliver continued on. "Look, let’s just start over, okay?"

Felicity slowly nodded her head in agreement.

Oliver sat back and held out his hand, “Hi. I’m Oliver.”

Felicity smiled at him before accepting his handshake, “It’s nice to meet you, Oliver. I’m Felicity.”

"Well Felicity, I know we just met, but would you like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night? There’s this new Italian place that just opened up; you like Italian right? Everybody likes Italian." Oliver said and she laughed at how cute he was.

"I love Italian."

"So, is that a yes?" Oliver asked, trying and failing not to sound nervous.

Felicity smiled brightly at him, “Yes, Oliver. I would love to go out to dinner with you.”

The way that his face lit up at her answer was the most beautiful thing Felicity had ever seen.

Oliver couldn’t stop smiling. After watching her run away from him and looking for her for weeks, he’d finally found her again. _Felicity_. She was here, with him, and Oliver was going to do everything in his power to make sure it stayed that way.

 

 


	3. Sweatshirt Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snowbarry oneshot loosely based on this au prompt: "You left one of your shirts in the washer and it got mixed up with my stuff and I didn't realize until you shouted at me from across the street"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. So I wrote this super quick and it's un-beta'd so all mistakes are mine. I hope you like it! :)

**Tuesday**

Caitlin hated doing her laundry at the laundromat, but the washing machine in her apartment building was currently broken so she had no choice but to go around the corner to the neighborhood store.

It was her day off, and she was trying to get as many chores done as possible. But then her phone rang.

"Good morning, Dr. Wells," she spoke into the phone.

"Caitlin, I need you to come into the lab. I know it’s your day off but we’ve got something you need to look at."

Caitlin let out an exasperated breath, “Alright, I’ll be there in 20 mins.”

She hurriedly began grabbing her things, stuffing her still half wet clothes from the dryer into her basket before all but running out of the store.

She didn’t notice the man that was walking in the same moment she was leaving and she bumped into him, almost dropping her things.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" he asked Caitlin as he grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

She brushed her hair back from her face. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I didn’t see you.”

The man smiled at her, “Don’t worry about it,” he said as he held the door open for Caitlin to walk through.

Barry watched the brunette leave the building before walking towards one of the machines. He had a bag full of wet clothes because the sprinklers came on when he was walking his dog. So he threw all his clothes in the dryer without even looking inside.

When he got home later he was surprised to find a blue Star Labs crew neck mixed in with his clothes. _Where did this come from?_ he thought to himself as he picked it up. It was soft and looked very comfortable. Barry put it on; it fit perfectly and felt great.

“Oh yeah, definitely keeping this.”

~~~~

**Wednesday**

Caitlin was in her bedroom, pulling clothes from her closet and flinging them all over the place.

"What are you looking for, Cait?" her cousin Oliver asked from his seat on her couch where he could see clothes flying everywhere.

"I can’t find my Star Labs sweater," she answered as she began ripping open drawer after drawer.

"Why don’t you just get another one? There are tons at your work, right?" Oliver said as he got up to help her look.

"Yeah, but they stopped making this design. I got it my first week working there; it’s my favorite."

"Well maybe you left it somewhere," Oliver suggested.

Caitlin reached for her phone. “I actually might have left it at Felicity’s the other night,” she said as she began dialing her number.

"Felicity," Oliver said. "Isn’t that your cute friend from the cafe down the street?" he asked.

Caitlin shushed him with a finger when Felicity picked up.

"Hey Felicity, did I happen to leave my Star Labs sweatshirt at you place the other night?"

"I don’t think so," Felicity answered. "I didn’t see it anywhere, but I’ll take another look and let you know if I find it."

"Okay, thanks Lis. I’ll talk to you later," Caitlin said before hanging up.

"Where could it be?" she questioned out loud.

~~~~

**Friday**

Barry walked into _Pink Servers_ , the cafe across the street from the laundromat.

"Morning, Barry. The usual?" the barista asked as Barry made his way up to the counter.

"Hi, Felicity. Yeah, the usual would be great," he smiled widely at her.

Felicity looked him up and down, eying him suspiciously. “Nice sweater,” she said, indicating the sweater he had on, the one he found in his laundry.

"Ohh, um thanks. I got it at their gift shop the other day," he lied, running a hand through his hair.

"Right," Felicity said warily. "Well here’s your order."

"Thanks," Barry said before heading over to a table.

"Hey Roy, can you work the register real quick? I need to make a phone call," Felicity asked one of the other workers before stepping out from behind the counter and calling Caitlin.

"Hi Lis, aren’t you supposed to be at work?" Caitlin answered.

"I am. Just thought I’d call to let you know I found your sweater."

Caitlin yelped. "Oh my god, where is it?!"

"It’s currently on Barry Allen," Felicity told her.

"Is that supposed to be a street name or something?"

"No, it’s the cute string bean guy that’s sitting at a window table in the cafe."

"He’s wearing it?! I’m on my way," Caitlin said before hanging up.

She came storming into the cafe 10 mins later. She immediately found Felicity standing at the register who pointed over towards the window where Barry was sitting.

Caitlin marched right up to his table. He was looking down at his phone so he didn’t notice her approaching.

"Hey jerk! Who do you think you are running around wearing other people’s clothes?" Caitlin asked him furiously.

Barry raised his head, surprised. “Excuse me?”

Caitlin’s eyes widened when she saw his face. “It’s you. From the laundromat! Oh my god did you steal my sweater when you bumped into me?!” she yelled, causing everyone else in the cafe to look at them.

Barry stood up at her accusation. “I didn’t steal anything, okay. I found this sweater mixed in with my laundry when I got home.”

“So you just decided to keep it?!” Caitlin asked, her voice growing louder. “Why wouldn’t you just bring it back to the laundromat and try and find who it belonged to? I’ve been looking for it everywhere!”

Barry held up his hands, “Well maybe you shouldn’t have left it in the dryer,” he answered. “And I wasn’t obligated to bring it back. It was with my stuff so it’s mine now,” he finished, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Hey man, the sweater obviously belongs to Caitlin so why don’t you just give it back?” Caitlin turned towards the voice. She didn’t realize Oliver had followed her in and was now glaring at Barry.

Felicity had also made her way over and was now standing on her other side.

“Please,” Caitlin practically begged. “I just want my sweater back.”

Barry looked at Caitlin and then Oliver, not missing the way the man had balled his hand into a fist.

“Okay fine,” Barry said. He then proceeded to remove the sweater right there in the middle of the café, his shirt rising up slightly from the movement. He handed it over to Caitlin. “Here. Sorry I didn’t try to return it, but it’s really comfortable,” he answered sheepishly as he pulled his shirt down.

Caitlin took it from his hands. “Thank you,” she told him and Barry nodded.

They looked at each other for a second longer before Barry picked up his coffee, apologizing one more time before walking out of the café.

Felicity whispered into Caitlin’s ear, “He’s actually a really sweet guy; I’m sure he feels bad about it.” Caitlin just nodded, her eyes still focused on the front door that Barry had just left through.

“And did you see his abs?” Felicity continued on. “I didn’t know he had those. He really shouldn’t be using your sweater to cover those up,” she teased.

“If you want abs, I’ll show you abs,” Oliver muttered under his breath.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Felicity asked him, confused.

Oliver opened his mouth to reply but Caitlin grabbed his arm before he had a chance to say anything. She waved goodbye to Felicity and practically dragged Oliver out of the café.

~~~~

**The following Tuesday**

Barry was sitting in the laundromat, his headphones in as he waited for his clothes to be finished when a red sweater was suddenly dropped in his lap. He looked up to find Caitlin standing over him, a small smile on her face. He picked up the sweater to unfold it, laughing loudly when he saw that it was a Star Labs sweater, slightly different from the one Caitlin was currently wearing.

He pulled his headphones out just as Caitlin began to speak. “Mind if I join you?” she asked him.

Barry couldn’t help himself from grinning up at her. “No. Not at all.”

 

 


	4. jackets & playlists

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a cute little Olicity oneshot. Also; I know that iPods categorize playlists alphabetically but for this story just pretend that older playlists are at the top and the most recently made playlists are at the bottom :)

Felicity hated her Critical Reasoning class. It was the spring semester of her second year at college and this class was by far her least favorite. Analyzing characters, writing essays, journal entries, they weren’t her thing. Felicity liked numbers, code, anything that had to deal with computers instead of people. But this class was a requirement so she had to pass it.

Not only did she hate the subject but the classroom was all the way across campus. It was a T/Th class beginning at 11:00am and she had to run from her Computer Science class that ended at 10:50 to make it on time. Then once class was done, she had to walk across campus again to reach her dorm.

It was a Tuesday morning in mid-February and Felicity was once again running through the quad on her way to Critical Reasoning. It was 10:57am and she still had about a half mile to go. She couldn’t be late. Just last week Professor Lance had started complaining about all the tardies and he told the class that as soon as the clock struck 11 he would be locking the door. Felicity couldn’t afford to miss a single class so she ran as fast as she could, her book bag bouncing erratically on her back with each stride she took.

She managed to make it to class at 10:59. She was breathing heavily as she entered the room, walking through the aisle to get to her seat on the other side.

"Cutting it a little close there, Smoak," a guy two rows back said as she took her seat. He was smiling brightly at her, a pencil tucked behind his ear.

She grinned at him. “If only I had your parkour skills, Queen,” she told him.

Felicity had known Oliver Queen for about a year now. She had him in a couple classes before. This is what their friendship consisted of; sarcastic banter that often got confused for flirting. At least confusing for Felicity. There were certain times where she was sure Oliver was flirting with her, but she wasn’t exactly his type so she thought better of it. But he was nice, always saying hi to her, sometimes asking about her day or telling her about his family or the latest party he went to. He had actually invited her to a few, but she always made up some excuse for why she couldn’t make it.

Oliver was also attractive. Very attractive. Everyone liked him; Felicity included, which was a problem, especially when he would smile at her the way he was now, all teeth and sparkling eyes. After taking her seat Felicity quickly looked away, turning to face the front of the room.

An hour and a half later class was over. Felicity collected her things and exited the classroom. She quickly walked through the halls; ready to relax in her warm bed, but when she opened the buildings front door she froze.

The sky was a dark gray, clouds rolling in. She watched as a young boy chased his papers across the quad, the heavy wind having blown them away.

Felicity looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a thin long sleeve and leggings. The weatherman said the rain wouldn’t be coming in till the end of the week, but of course he was wrong.

"Oh frack," Felicity muttered as she pulled her backpack tighter over her shoulders and began walking down the steps. She stood still when she reached the bottom, her teeth were already chattering and she still had a long way to go.

Someone bumped into her from behind, causing her to yelp as she lost balance, but strong hands on her upper arms steadied her.

"I’m so sorry about that," the guy said when she turned around; the expression on his face showing that he actually meant it.

He smiled down at her. It was Oliver.

"It’s okay," Felicity replied as she reached up to adjust her glasses, her voice coming out shaky due to the cold.

"Heading back to your room?" he asked, trying to make conversation.

Felicity nodded. “Yeah. It’s lovely weather for a stroll,” she said, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. She had also began rubbing her forearms, shifting on her feet slightly to keep blood flowing.

Oliver must have noticed how cold she was because next thing she knew he was placing his backpack on the ground and shrugging out of his jacket.

"Here," he told her as he held it out.

Felicity’s eyes widened and she raised her hands. “Oliver, no! It’s freezing!” She could see her breath as she spoke.

"Exactly. Which is why I’m lending you my jacket."

"I can’t let you do that," Felicity said, looking up at his face.

He tilted his head at her. “What dorm are you in?”

"Hewitt," she spoke softly.

"That’s on the other side of campus. You’re going to need this if you plan on making it back there alive."

She shook her head. “Really, it’s fine. If I run then I’ll manage to get there faster while also raising my body temperature which will-“

"Fe-li-ci-ty." Hearing her name tumble from his lips caused Felicity to stop. Oliver usually always called her ‘Smoak.’

"I’m in Baxter Hall, just around the corner so I’ll be okay without it." He waved his jacket in front of her face, sighing happily when she took it from his grasp.

Felicity took off her bag before putting the jacket on. It was brown, with a lot of pockets, and buttons down the front. She pulled it tightly around her body. It hung loosely on her tiny frame and it smelled like mints and aftershave.

"Thank you, Oliver," she said quietly once she had put her backpack back on.

He smiled brightly at her. “Need me to walk you back to your dorm, too?” he asked.

Felicity couldn’t tell whether he was joking or if he was actually offering. Either way, she shook her head. “No. Nope, I think I can manage now,” she said, raising her arms up to show that having his jacket helped.

Oliver shook his head, slightly amused. He smiled at her. “I’ll see you later, Felicity.”

Felicity nodded once, giving him an awkward thumbs up before turning and walking across the quad.

~~~~

As soon as Felicity was in her room she went over to her bed, kicked off her shoes and quickly got under the covers. Her roommate Caitlin was gone all day, Med Student, so Felicity had the room all to herself. She had one more class at 5pm so she decided to take a nap until then.

She woke up around 4 and found something to eat before leaving to class. She didn’t even think about changing; just put her shoes back on and left. It wasn’t until she was seated in class that she remembered what she was wearing.

"Nice jacket," one of her classmates, Iris, said when Felicity sat down next to her.

"Oh, right. I’m just borrowing it. When I left class earlier it was freezing and a guy lent it to me since I had to walk all the way back to the dorms."

Iris seemed interested in that. “Really? What guy?” she asked.

"Oliver."

Felicity watched as Iris’s face lit up. “Oliver  _Queen_?”

Felicity nodded her head and Iris slapped her arm.

"Ouch, Iris what was that for?" a confused Felicity asked.

Her friend leaned in, her voice just above a whisper. “Why didn’t you tell me you were friends with Oliver Queen?”

"I’m friends with Oliver Queen,” Felicity said dryly.

"I can’t believe he gave you his jacket. Maybe he likes you," Iris said.

"No," Felicity corrected, "he let me borrow his jacket."

Iris gave her an exasperated look. “Pfft. Same thing. I still think it means that he likes you.”

Felicity couldn’t help but laugh at that. “No, he doesn’t. He was just being a gentleman. I’m sure he would have offered his jacket to anyone who needed it.”

"Mhmm. Keep telling yourself that.”

Felicity spent the next hour of class thinking about what Iris had said. Popular guys like Oliver didn’t just go around giving their jackets to nerdy IT girls like Felicity, did they? It’s not like he actually liked her or anything. As friends, maybe, but not anything more than that. That would be crazy. Felicity shook her head, trying to clear of mind of Oliver so that she could focus on the lecture instead.

After getting back to her room and showering, Felicity got into bed, planning on reading for a little bit before going to sleep. But she didn’t get far because her gaze kept drifting to Oliver’s jacket which was draped over her desk chair. She went to pick it up, letting her hands roam across the material, almost as if she were examining it.  _It’s just a jacket. He was just being nice_ ; Felicity thought to herself before dropping it back on her chair.

But when it landed on the seat she heard a thump. Felicity picked it up again, looking for the source of the noise. She felt around the many pockets and stopped when she got to one that was zipped up. When she opened it she found an iPod inside, with headphones wrapped around it.

Felicity took it out, curiosity getting the better of her. She walked back to her bed, sitting on the mattress before untangling the headphones. What was that saying?  _You could tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listened to._  So she unlocked the iPod, smiling softly to herself when she saw the lock screen; it was a picture of Oliver with a young brunette on his back, his younger sister, Felicity guessed. Oliver had talked about her sometimes; they were very close.

Felicity decided to look at nothing else but his music, not wanting to invade his privacy any more than she already was. She scrolled through the songs which ranged from Rap to Pop to Alternative. Then she went into his playlists. There were quite a few; Workout Playlist, Party Playlist, Study Playlist. Felicity kept scrolling until she read the last one. The device almost fell from her hand as she reread the title of the playlist over and over again.

 _Felicity_.

No. That couldn’t be right. The playlist was titled ‘Felicity’. Her name was Felicity. Did Oliver have a playlist dedicated to her? But why?

With shaky hands and her heart beating rapidly inside her chest, Felicity clicked on the playlist. It was filled with songs, more than 20.

Felicity took a deep breath before going through the songs one by one. Familiar titles jumped out at her like,  _I Wanna Be Yours_ by Arctic Monkeys and _Latch_  by Disclosure. And then there were other’s:

 _Friends_ —Ed Sheeran

 _Heart Like Yours_ —Williamette Stone

 _Let Me Love You_ —Mario

 _Only Love—_ Ben Howard

 _You Don’t See Me_ —Safety Suit

Felicity got comfortable in bed, plugging her own headphones into the jack. She reached out to turn off the desk lamp before pulling the covers over her and playing the first song.

A few songs in and tears had started forming in Felicity’s eyes as she listened to the lyrics. The songs were so heartfelt and sincere, how could she not know Oliver felt this way about her? She had always had a small crush on him but she never thought he’d feel the same way about her so she tucked it away. But if these songs were any indication then Oliver did feel the same way, if not more, about her.

That night Felicity listened to every single song on that playlist.  _Her_  playlist. And when she was through she started it all over again, turning to face the wall so Caitlin couldn’t see her tears, even in the dark.

~~~~

When Felicity woke up the following morning her eyes were slightly puffy. Oliver’s iPod and her headphones were nestled under her pillow, having fallen out during the night.

Her mind was racing; she’d have to see him today. How could she look him in the eyes after listening to those songs? Songs for how he felt about her. Thinking her little crush was one sided was one thing;  _knowing_  that it wasn’t, well that was something else completely. Her stomach was in knots just thinking about it.

Felicity panicked while she was getting dressed. Wearing his jacket, even bringing it with her would be too much. It was supposed to be a lot colder today so she put on a sweater and pea coat before leaving the room, Oliver’s jacket still draped over her desk chair.

Her Computer Science class let out early so she made it to Critical Reasoning with plenty of time to spare. She let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding in once she stepped into the classroom and didn’t see Oliver’s face. Felicity took her seat, making herself busy with her notes, trying her best not to peek at the door every time it opened and another student walked in.

But regardless of how hard she tried, she still noticed when Oliver had arrived. She could hear him talking to a friend as he made his way to his seat. Felicity didn’t dare look back at him, glad that Professor Lance had begun addressing the class.

At the end of class Felicity hurried out of the room, choosing to wait for Oliver in the hallway. When he saw her standing there he was all smiles. Felicity felt her heart skip a beat.

“Smoak.”

She laughed nervously. “I forgot your jacket in my room. But if you need it I can go and get it right now. Or just let me know where to meet you later and I’ll bring it then.”

“Actually, I’m heading back home for the weekend. Tommy and I are leaving right now in fact. He’s probably already in the car waiting for me.”

“Oh,” Felicity paused. “Sorry. If I’d known that then I would have made sure to remember it this morning.”

Oliver gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about it, Felicity. You can just give it back to me on Tuesday. Besides, you might need to wear it again,” he teased.

They walked out of the building together, Oliver telling her to have a good weekend before making his way to the parking lot and Felicity walking towards her dorm building.

This wasn’t good. Felicity was going to have Oliver’s jacket all weekend. She was going to have his iPod all weekend.  She groaned at the thought.

The long walk back to Hewitt Hall gave her a lot of time to think. Oliver liked her. Like,  _really_  liked her. And Felicity liked him too. But he didn’t know that and Felicity wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to tell him.

It was Saturday and Felicity was alone in her dorm for the weekend. Caitlin decided to go visit her boyfriend, Barry, which meant Felicity had nothing to do for the next couple of days.

She went to have lunch at a nearby café. It was chilly out, but wasn’t raining. After much debate Felicity decided to wear Oliver’s jacket. It was a short walk anyways and she was sure no one would notice that it belonged to him.

While she was out an idea had come to mind. When Felicity got back to her room she sat down at her desk and turned on her laptop. She opened iTunes and hooked up Oliver’s iPod. She went through her library and then began dragging songs over to a new playlist, a small smile on her face as she did so.

~~~~

It was Tuesday morning and Felicity was hurriedly making her way to English, Oliver’s jacket neatly folded in her bag, his iPod exactly where she found it. She was nervous to see him and even more nervous to give him back his things.

Oliver waved hello to her when she walked in, boyish grin on his face as he popped a peppermint into his mouth. Felicity felt her nerves subsiding and she returned his smile with one of her own, mouthing the words “Wait for me after class?” as she took her seat. She watched Oliver nod his head before she turned around to face the board.

The class went by quickly and soon Felicity found herself standing next to Oliver out in the quad.

Felicity reached into her bag and handed Oliver his jacket. “Thanks again, Oliver. I really appreciated you letting me borrow it,” she said once he took it from her hands.

Oliver smirked at her. “Anything for you, Smoak.”

Felicity bit her bottom lip nervously, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I actually think you left your iPod in one of the pockets,” she added.

Felicity watched the smile fall from Oliver’s face, his cheeks turning red slightly. He cleared his throat. “Oh. I forgot I left it in there,” he said, avoiding eye contact.

She took a step back, preparing to leave. “Yeah, well I should be getting back to my room,” she said. “I’ll see you, Thursday, Oliver?”

He looked up at the sound of his name, the smile back on his face. He nodded. “As long as you’re not late,” he said playfully.

"I’ll try my best," Felicity replied before giving him a small smile and walking away.

~~~~

Oliver walked back to his dorm, the smile still plastered on his face. He entered his room, Tommy nowhere to be found. Oliver looked down at the jacket in his hands. It smelled different, like strawberries and coffee. It smelled like Felicity.

Oliver sighed heavily. Offering Felicity his jacket was the perfect opportunity to ask her out on a date. But he’d been too nervous. She hadn’t gone to any of the parties he’d previously invited her too so he didn’t think she was into him. And why would she be? Felicity was smart and kind and way too good for him. She wouldn’t be into a guy like him; someone barely scraping by in class and partying too much. Oliver knew he had a reputation as a playboy, a spoiled brat that came from a wealthy family. But he was trying to be better. And maybe someday soon he’d be the kind of guy that attracted a girl like Felicity Smoak.

He didn’t have any more classes for the rest of the day, but he did have an exam tomorrow afternoon so he decided to get a little studying in. Oliver took a seat at his desk, textbook and papers already on the top. He pulled his iPod out of his jacket, putting on his headphones and going straight for his ‘Study’ playlist.

45 mins later and Oliver was in need of a break. He got up to stretch, unlocking his iPod to change playlists. He scrolled to the bottom, intending on listening to the ‘Felicity’ playlist -he had a playlist named after her. God he was in deep.- Oliver stopped scrolling once he reached the bottom. There was one more playlist under Felicity’s. He didn’t remember making a new one.

 _Where did this come from?_ Felicity.

Oliver’s brows furrowed in confusion when he read the title. His footing faltered and he had to grab the back of his chair for balance. Oliver took in a stuttering breath, reading the title one more time.

 _Dear Oliver_.

He didn’t have time to be angry at the fact that Felicity went through his iPod, how could he be when she made him a playlist. Just like he’d made one for her. Oliver sat on the edge of his bed as he looked through the titles; then he played the first song.

Oliver smiled softly to himself and that smile grew with each song that he listened to until he was sure that he couldn’t smile any bigger. These were songs of hope, love, lyrics that mirrored his own wants and feelings. He listened to the playlist once. And then he listened to it again. There were so many songs.

 _Falling for You_ —The 1975

 _Kiss Me Slowly_ —Parachute

 _You Belong With Me_ —Taylor Swift

 _Your Song_ —Kate Walsh

By the time Oliver was finished his heart was so full, unshed tears had formed in his eyes.

He had to see her. He had to see Felicity.

Oliver put the jacket on, stuffing his iPod in his pocket before rushing out of the door. He sprinted across campus, taking the steps two at a time when he reached Hewitt Hall.

He came to a stop at the front desk.

"Hey Ollie," Laurel, one of the RA’s and a friend of his, greeted when she saw him. "What brings you here?"

"Laurel, do you know if Felicity is in her room?" he asked breathlessly.

"Felicity Smoak?" Oliver nodded. "She left for class about an hour ago. I’m not sure what time she’ll be back."

Oliver’s shoulders slumped. Now what?

"I can text you when she gets back? Or let her know you stopped by," Laurel suggested.

"It’s okay; I’ll just wait for her out front. I’ve got an important question to ask her about an assignment," Oliver lied. He waved goodbye to Laurel before exiting the building and taking a seat on a bench next to the stairs.

30 mins had gone by and Felicity still hadn’t been back. Oliver tapped his foot restlessly, wiping his palms on the front of his jeans. Why was he nervous? He’d asked out plenty of girls before. But this wasn’t just some girl. This was _Felicity_.

Oliver stood abruptly, running a hand through his hair as he began pacing.

It was another 20 mins until Oliver saw Felicity making her way over to him.

~~~~

Felicity froze when she saw Oliver standing in front of her building. He had on a jacket, the brown jacket, and his hands were in the pockets as he stared at the ground, pacing back and forth. Felicity took a deep breath before walking towards him. When she was a few feet away from him Oliver looked up, his eyes meeting hers.

"Oliver…" Felicity said hesitantly. "What are you doing here?"

He took a step forward, never breaking eye contact. The corners of his mouth ticked up, a small smile breaking across his face.

"You made me a playlist," he told her, taking a few more steps until he was directly in front of her.

Felicity had to crane her neck up to look at him. “You made me one first,” she spoke softly.

There was a silence that followed and Felicity felt the need to keep talking. “Are you mad? That I listened to it?”

“I was more embarrassed than mad,” Oliver admitted. “And then I listened to the playlist you made for me.”

“I didn’t know how else to tell you,” Felicity took a deep breath, “that I feel the same way.”

“You surprised me with those songs. I didn’t think…” his voice trailed off as he looked away.

Felicity lifted her hand to his jaw, surprising him as she turned his head so that she could look in his eyes. “You didn’t think what?”

Oliver took a deep breath. “I didn’t think that a girl like you could fall for a guy like me.”

“Devilishly handsome and incredibly nice?” Felicity joked, causing Oliver to laugh.

“No, though I won’t deny either of those things,” he said. “I meant the party boy that’s barely maintaining a C average.”

She shook her head. “You’re more than those things, Oliver. And I can see that.”

He didn’t say anything and Felicity realized her palm was still cupping his jaw. She began to move it away but Oliver brought his hand up to stop her, taking hold and lowering their hands between their bodies, intertwining their fingers.

He squeezed her hand once before speaking. “Felicity. Would you like to get some coffee with me?”

Felicity nodded, smiling up at him. Oliver offered to carry her backpack, throwing it over his shoulder before reaching down to grab her hand once more as they began making their way towards the student union.

Oliver looked over at her as they continued walking. “You know what this means, don’t you?” he asked.

Felicity shook her head. “What?”

“I need to make a new playlist,” Oliver told her with a smile and Felicity answered with a smile of her own, nodding in agreement.

~~~~

At their wedding 5 years later, Oliver and Felicity didn't book a band or a DJ for the reception. Instead, they hooked up Oliver’s iPod to the speakers, playing the playlist titled “Falling in Love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm planning on actually making the 'Felicity' and 'Dear Oliver' playlists sometime soon so if you're interested in that keep an eye out for it on my tumblr :)


End file.
